visit visa for China. need to join to ship.

For applying a visit type, you need to prepare a letter from a China travel agency or travel organizer, Invitation Letter for Tourist from Chinese Tourist Bureau, travel route, your covering letter from company and financial supporting document such as the bank statement.

Are your a crew member? If so, you can try to apply for a C type instead of a Tourist type. You just need to provide a letter of guarantee, an invitation letter and some documents the officer asks for application.